Display carrier and holder



J. P. M DONNELL DfSPLAY CARRIER AND HOLDER Sept. 11, 1934.

Filed April 28. 1932 INVENTOR f P771750 7a 002777622 M 2/. M

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 11, 1934 NlTED stares 14. Claims.

My invention relates to a display carrier and holder and particularly to a display carrier and holder adapted to receive and hold interchangeable displays such as price tags and the like.

One adaptation of a device embodying my invention is in stores in which merchandise is contained on shelves, tables, counters, or the like, on the front of which it is desired to place price tickets for each kind of merchandise so contained.

In chain grocery stores and the like, it is desirable that such display devices be readily interchangeable from place to place on the merchandise containing shelf and that the display in the display carrier may be easily changed. Likewise, it is desirable that the forward edges of the shelv ing used in such stores be finished in a suitable manner which will eliminate the rough edges of the shelves and add to the ornamental appearance of the entire store. Likewise, it is highly desirable that the display carrier be securely and interchangeably held at a predetermined location on the front of each shelf and so held as to prevent accidental displacement of the carrier and the display therein by the removal of merchandise or the like from the shelf.

It is, therefore, an object of my present invention to provide a display carrier and holder which may be used in connection with merchandise containing shelves or the like, and in which the display carrier may be moved readily from place to place on the holder and positively held in such place against accidental displacement.

It is a further object of my present invention to provide a display carrier and holder in which the holder may be easily attached to or formed as a part of the front edge of a shelf or the like, thereby eliminating the rough edges of such shelves and adding to the ornamental appearance of the shelves so equipped.

It is a further object of my present invention to provide a display carrier and holder in which the display carrier may be moved from point to point on the holder and held by such holder at a definite predetermined distance from other carriers on the same holder or the holders on other shelves.

These and various other objects, featiu'es of arrangement, construction, and operation, are plainly shown and described, and will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a carrier and holder embodying my invention attached to the forward edge of a shelf, a fragment of which is here shown;

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the back of a display carrier embodying my invention.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar been found that this method of construction of I,

the forward edges of such a shelf is unsatisfactory in that the appearance of the paint or varnish is soon damaged by continual use of the shelf, and after some use the edges of the shelf tend to break off in small splinters.

In order to do away with these undesirable 3 features of a wooden shelf and to provide the holding means of my invention, I secure to the front edge of such a shelf a holder 6, which may beformed of any desired material such as aluminum, or the like, in strip form for running attachment to the edge 5 of the shelf i. The holder 6 is formed with an extending turned lip '7, in which I provide a plurality of openings 8 formed at desired intervals therein. The holder 6 may be attached to the edge 5 of the shelf 4 by nails 9, as shown, or by any other suitable securing means.

i In the case where metal shelving is used, it is possible to form the holder 6 as an integral part of the forward edge of such shelving, in which case the extending turned lip 7 and the openings 8 formed therein would be an integral part of such shelf.

The display carrier 10 is formed with a back portion 11, having forwardly projecting turned flanges 12 and 13 so formed as to receive and hold a display 14 between their inner faces and the outer face of the back portion 11. Adjacent the top, and centrally of the length of the back portion 11, a tab portion 15 is provided, the tab portion 15 being so bent that it extends rearwardly of the back of the portion 11 and downwardly on a line parallel to the rear of the back portion 11, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The tab portion 15, when so bent, and the rear of the back portion 11 result in an inverted U- shaped construction which has a portion adapted to contact with the holder 6 and. act to suspend the carrier from the said point in the U-shaped portion.

In order to prevent an accidental displacement the display carrier 10 from its position on the holder 6, the tab 15 is formed with laterally exloclring portions 16 and 17. The tip of the locking portion 16 is adapted to enter the openings 8 in the carrier 6 and is so formed that it cooperates with the remainder of the tab 15 and the openligs 8 in such a manner that when the tip of the locking portion 16 is started in the openings 8 by a tipping of the entire carrier 10, and the carrier 10 is then released, there will be an automatic centering of the tab 15 and the carrier 10 in the openings 8. The upper fiat portion of the laterally extending portion 16 then contacts with the under side of the extending turned lip portion 7 to prevent further turning of the carrier is or accidental displacement of it. lThe tip portion 17 prevents a displacement of the carrier through an accidental contact with its under edge.

If it is desired so to do, the holder 6 may be dispensed with and the carrier used alone as a means of displaying material contained therein. In such a case the rearwardly extending tab 15 may be inserted in an opening in a package of goods to which it may be desired to attach it, or it may be suspended from a wire or similar means and slid from place to place thereon. In the case of such uses, the width of the upper portion of the tab 15 acts to balance the carrier and give the desired stability.

In some installations it may be desirable to provide a hinged tab 15 on the carrier. In this case the entire tab 15 is hinged to the face portion of the carrier and permits a movement of the face portion of the carrier relative to the tab 15. It has been found that such a provision prevents accidental bending of the face portion of the carrier when struck by merchandise or the like.

A carrier constructed in accordance with my invention, as herein shown, gives stability to display material, particularly where it is formed of cardboard or the like. It is apparent that the eight of a carrier member such as I have here shown is such that air disturbances and the like will not move it rapidly from place to place so as to tear it or to impair its appearance. If, however, a paper or cardboard display were to be used alone without such a carrier, the air disturbanoes and the like acting upon it would cause it to be easily torn or destroyed and require its rapid replacement.

The operation of a device embodying my inven tion is as follows: After the holder 6 is secured to the edge 5 of the shelf 4, or is formed as a part of the edge 5 of the shelf 4, and is provided with spaced openings 8, and the carriers 10 are filled with display material 14 inserted therein, which is held in place by the flanges l2 and 13, and the back portion 11, each tab 15 of the carriers is inserted in the opening 8 adjacent the merchandi e to which the display material in the carrier 11') is to be used.

The display material 14, shown in the drawing, may be any conventional cardboard price tags, but it is apparent that any desired material may be similarly held and displayed by changes in the size and shape of the carrier 10 to correspond with the size and shape of the material to be displayed.

In order to support the carrier 10 by the holder 6, the entire carrier 10 and the display contained therein are turned slightly so that the end of the laterally extending locking tip 16 is inserted in one of the openings 8. The carrier 10 is then released and the tab 15 contacts with the inside of the opening 8 and acts to center the tab 15 in the opening. In this mwner the carriers 10 are definitely held at spaced intervals along the extending lip portion '7 of the holder 6.

The back of the tab 15 contacts with the face of the holder 6 and maintains the face of the carrier 10 on a line parallel to the face of the holder 6. The upper portion of the laterally extending tip 16 and the tab 15 contact with the under side of the extending lip portion 7 of the carrier 6 and act to stabilize the carrier 10 and prevent the accidental displacement of it from the openings 8.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is apparent that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. The combination of a holder in the form of a continuous ornamental moulding adapted to be attached to a shelf edge and having therein a plurality of spaced apart openings, with a carrier member adapted substantially to enclose material to be displayed therein and having means secured to it adapted to be received selectively in any one of said spaced apart openings and held in said openings against accidental displacement therefrom.

2. The combination of a holder in the form of a continuous ornamental moulding having a forwardly projecting bead portion secured to a shelf edge, with a carrier member adapted substantially to enclose material to be displayed therein and having means adapted to contact said head portion of said holder and to hold said carrier against accidental displacement therefrom.

3. The combination of a holder in the form of a continuous ornamental moulding secured to a shelf edge having a forwardly extending bead portion integral with the face thereof, with a carrier member having a body portion adapted to receive and enclose material to be displayed therein, and a locking member secured to said body portion and adapted to be held in any one of a plurality of positions on said forwardly extending bead portion of said holder against accidental displacement therefrom.

4. The combination of a holder in the form of a continuous ornamental moulding secured to a shelf edge having a forwardly extending head portion integral with the face thereof, and a display carrier having means for substantially enclosing material carried for display therein, and a locking member secured to said carrier and adapted to-coact with said bead portion to support said display carrier.

5. The combination of a holder secured to the forward edge of a shelf and having a forwardly projecting head portion, a tag carrier member having a tag secured therein and having the back and longitudinal side edges of the tag substantially enclosed thereby, and a locking member secured to said tag carrier member and adapted to be received in a plurality of positions on said forwardly projecting bead portion and held thereon against accidental displacement therefrom.

6. The combination of a holder in the form of a continuous ornamental moulding adapted to be attached to a shelf edge and having therein a plurality of spaced apart openings, with a carrier member having a body portion, forwardly extending flanges integral with said body portion, and a turned rearwardly extending tab portion, means secured to said carrier member and adapted to be received selectively in any one of said spaced apart openings, and means to prevent accidental displacement thereof and including means secured to said tab portion and adapted to coact with the walls of said openings to prevent accidental displacement thereof.

7. The combination of a holder in the form of a continuous ornamental moulding adapted to be attached to a shelf edge and having therein a plurality of spaced apart openings, with a carrier member having a body portion, forwardly extending turned flanges integral with said body portion, and a turned rearwardly extending tab portion formed with a laterally extending locking portion adapted to be received selectively in any one of said spaced apart openings, the said laterally extending locking portion of said tab being adapted to coact with the walls of said spaced apart openings to prevent accidental displacement of said carrier member from said holder.

8. The combination of a holder in the form of a continuous ornamental moulding adapted to be secured to the forward edge of a shelf and having therein a plurality of spaced apart openings, with a carrier member having a body portion, forwardly extending flanges integral with said body portion, a turned rearwardly extending tab portion adapted to be received selectively in any one of said spaced apart openings, and means integral with said tab portion and adapted to coact with the Walls of said holder to prevent accidental displacement of said carrier member from said holder.

9. The combination of a holder in the form of an ornamental moulding adapted to be secured to the forward edge of a shelf and having a forwardly projecting bead portion and a plurality of spaced apart openings in said bead portion, with a carrier member having a body portion, forwardly extending flanges integral with said body portion, a turned rearwardly extending tab portion adapted to be received selectively in any one of said spaced apart openings, and means integral with said tab portion and adapted to 00- act with the walls of said holder to prevent accidental displacement of said. carrier member from said holder.

10. The combination of a holder in the form of an ornamental moulding adapted to be secured to the forward edge of a shelf and having a plurality of spaced apart openings therein, with a carrier member having means to receive and sub- 35 stantially enclose material to be displayed therein, and means for detachably securing said carrier member in any one of said spaced apart openings in said holder.

11. The combination of a holder in the form of a continuous ornamental moulding secured to the forward edge of a shelf and having a plurality of spaced apart openings therein, with a carrier member having means to receive and substantially to enclose material to be displayed 5 therein, and means for detachably securing said carrier member in any one of said spaced apart openings in said holder.

12. The combination of a holder secured to the forward edge of a shelf and having a forwardly projecting bead portion, and a plurality of spaced apart openings in said bead portion, with a carrier member having means to receive and substantially to enclose material to be displayed therein, and means for detachably securing said carrier member in any one of said spaced apart openings in said holder.

13. In a display device, the combination of a shelf, an ornamental moulding secured to the forward edge of said shelf, a plurality of spaced apart openings in said ornamental moulding, and a carrier having means for receiving and substantially enclosing material to be displayed therein, and means for detachable engagement with any one of said spaced apart openings.

14. In a display device, the combination of a shelf, a plurality of spaced apart openings adjacent the forward edge of said shelf, a carrier having means for receiving and holding material to be displayed, and means for detachable engagement with said spaced apart openings, said means including a rearwardly extending tab portion and laterally extending tip portions integral with said tab portion whereby said carrier is held against accidental displacement from said spaced apart openings.

J. PHILIP McDONNELL. 

